How good are you at Goal Orientation?

Did you know that Goal Orientation is a competency that you can develop? We define the Goal Orientation competency as, "Setting, pursuing and attaining goals, regardless of obstacles or circumstances." Who do you know who is highly skilled at Goal Orientation?

With practice, you can grow and develop this skill just like other "hard skills" you might be good at like cooking, public speaking, employee coaching, or playing golf.

How do I grow as a leader: Goal Orientation?

Those with a highly developed skill of Goal Orientation exhibit the following:

• Acts instinctively to achieve objectives without supervision.
• Expends the necessary time and effort to achieve goals.
• Recognizes and acts on opportunities to advance progress to meet goals.
• Establishes and works toward ambitious and challenging goals.
• Develops and implements strategies to meet objectives.
• Measures effectiveness and performance to ensure results are attained.
• Acts with a determination to achieve goals.
• Demonstrates persistence in overcoming obstacles to meet objectives.
• Takes calculated risks to achieve results.
• Employs a strategy that affects how they approach tasks and future projects.

Behaviorally, it comes more naturally and requires less focus for some of us to be goal-oriented. For the rest of us, it is a skill we may need to invest energy into developing in order to be more effective. Our Driving Forces will reward for some skills and not others. If your job or your environment demands something from you that isn't naturally present in your Behaviors or Driving Forces, you can develop it in your Competencies. 

What about you? How developed are you at the competency of Goal Orientation? What about the people on your team? Is this something you want your team to be strong in?